


For Me?

by IfMulderCouldSeeMeNow



Category: The X-Files
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Happy Ending, Post-Season 9 (X-Files)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-08
Updated: 2019-08-08
Packaged: 2020-08-13 05:41:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20169070
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/IfMulderCouldSeeMeNow/pseuds/IfMulderCouldSeeMeNow
Summary: Nearly two months ago he'd heard her softly crying through bathroom door after returning from a trip to the park with Will.Alternate timeline where Mulder and Scully go on the run with William.





	For Me?

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the prompt: You did all this for me?

When they are finally able to stop and get out of the car in rural Virginia, they are bone tired, and yet giddy with excitement. A _home_. They still weren't necessarily _safe_, but it was a much-needed step in the right direction.

William, tall for 5 with intelligent eyes and seemingly boundless energy, hurries out of the car, his sneakers crunching on the mix of dirt and gravel. 

"We get to _live_ here?" He nearly screetches in surprise and Mulder nods, which actually does make him screetch. William immediately takes off and begins exploring. 

"Stay in our sight," Mulder calls with the smooth practice of a parent. 

Mulder slides his arm around Scully's waist and pulls her closer as they look up at their house.There is apprehension behind her eyes, worry at the idea of settling in one place when they still had so many enemies. But her eyes also held so much relief.

"It needs some TLC, bu-"

"Thank you, Mulder," she says softly, resting her head against his shoulder, her mahogany hair against his dark leather jacket. Her roots are just beginning to show again and he longs for the red locks he's associate with her for so long.

He leans down and presses a kiss atop her head, hoping that this is a step towards them returning to themselves. 

* * *

Nearly two months ago he'd heard her softly crying through bathroom door after returning from a trip to the park with Will. Acting quickly, Mulder grabbed the remote and clicked the TV on as a distraction.

William's eyes widened at the promise of afternoon cartoons, and he climbed on the bed and rested his arms behind his head. There was no denying the paternity of this child, in spite of past speculation.

When Mulder cracked open the bathroom door and slid in, closing it behind him, he smelt vomit. Her limbs were drooped in exhaustion, but her eyes were locked on his, glistening with fear. 

His eyes widened when he spotted the positive pregnancy test on the vanity. 

When he took her into his arms on the dingy hotel floor, her worries came out in restrained sobs. The complications, the constant travel. _How would they do this?_ Scully was always the rational side of their partnership and naturally, she was petrified. 

"Mulder, we can't raise a newborn like this," she whispered desperately into his sweater, tears still steaming down her face.

She'd just begun to resolve the guilt of raising William in various hotels across the country. He could have had a stable life if she hadn't been so _selfish. _It had been too hard to give him up; she couldn't bear it.

He hugged her closer and tenderly kissed the top of her head. 

"We won't have to...I'll figure something out." he whispered into her hair. The chestnut color was still shockingly different, but her eyes were all Scully. 

Her body relaxed then and she nodded against his chest, placing her trust in his word. 

* * *

When the boxes begin to arrive, he refuses to let her lift them. 

"Mulder, I'm _fine_," she insists, reaching down for a small box before he shooes her away, swooping in to pick it up himself. 

She's wearing a loose-fitted sweater, but he knows of the small bump curved underneath. Their baby is now the size of an avocado according to some book he found in the storage boxes her mother sent. 

Instead of fighting him any longer, she returns to unpacking inside. There are so many storage boxes. The dishes from her old apartment make her nostalgic, and her hormones nearly send her into a fit of tears. They had a _home_, now. Even if Mulder was still in hiding and couldn't leave the property.They had acres of land. Space to raise their child. _Children_.

They could send Will to school. He could have a semi-normal life with friends_. No more running_. 

Her stomach grumbles and after checking her watch, she realizes over an hour has gone by since she got lost in her thoughts while organizing the kitchen. The fridge is filled from her grocery trip earlier in the week, but she knows it doesn't have what she wants. She lifts the newly installed landline and puts in an order at the local pizzeria, thankful for their mailed paper fliers. 

The baby absolutely would not quit until she got some black olives. Mulder is nearly finished hauling the storage boxes to their respective locations when she calls over her shoulder that she's picking up dinner.

* * *

When Scully returns, two boxes in her arms because a five year old will absolutely not tolerate the sheer amount of veggies on her pizza, Mulder is sitting cross legged on the floor, so intent in his task that he hasn't noticed her.

"Anything interesting?" She asks with a chuckle as William presses his face against the lip of the kitchen table, reaching for the pizza and trying to tip the box closer. 

"Plate, honey" she reminds gently, pulling three plates from the cabinet with a gentle clink. William hurrily climbs into the wooden chair and wiggles in excitement, practically drooling when Scully slides an ooey, gooey slice in front of him.

"Cut?" She asks, but he shakes his head 'no' and is already bending the slice and trying to lead it to his mouth, just like his father. When the cheese slides off and plops to his plate instead, he looks at her sheepishly and she cuts the slice with a fork and knife, reminding her son that folding smaller pieces of pizza would work just as well. 

Realizing that Mulder was still on the floor of what was beginning to look like a living room, she crosses the hardwoods and runs her fingers into his hair. 

"I brought back dinner," she says, but immediately stops her ministrations, taking a step back when she realizes what he's holding. She didn't realize her mother saved them.

"You did this all for me, Scully?" He asks so gently, his head crained up to see her, eyes glistening with unshed tears. 

In his hands are a collection of journals, detailing William's first year of life. His likes and dislikes, including the story of pureed peas hurled at her head. His first _real_ smile, trips to the park, updates from the Doctor's on his development. 

But right now, she notices a particular line in her journal, remembers the desperation she felt while writing it.

_I miss you so much, Mulder. He's so much like you._

Each entry begins as if it's a letter for him and she has put so much detail into these scenes she's written that he feels as though he could actually see his son teetering during his first steps. _Feel as though he was there._

"I-I" she stammers for a moment, trying to reign in her own emotions. "I wasn't sure when we would see you again and I didn't want you to miss anything."

He rests the books back in the box labeled "Fox: Important" in Maggie Scully's delicate handwriting and rises to his feet, cupping her face with his hand and sliding the pad of his thumb across her tear-streaked cheek.

"Thank you" he says softly, _for everything._

Her stomach growls loudly, effectively breaking the moment and they both laugh.

"Someone's impatient" he jokes with his eyes directed to her stomach, resting his hand on the disappearing curve of her hip and leading her back to the kitchen "Let's get some food in you."

William greets them with a large belch, receiving an impressed look from his father and a raised eyebrow from his mother. His face and hands are covered in sauce. 

" 'scuse me," he says politely, just as Scully raises the pizza to her lips with a satisfied smile. 

This was their home. And life was just beginning. 


End file.
